bobby.

I plowed through this biography, Bobby Kennedy, The Making of a Liberal Icon, in Michigan last week. This is the fourth book I've read about Bobby, I am unabashedly a big fan of Camelot. This was a brilliant read. Fair and circumspect and full of super interesting detail from his work for McCarthy, on Congressional committees and of course later as AG, Senator and candidate. If you're looking for a profile of a complicated and contradictory figure while at the same time inspiring and genius - a strong dose of Kennedy can do that for you!

• NYTimes Book Review
• Fresh Air - NPR 

weekend warrior.

I swear I'm not avoiding you - I just haven't been able to keep up with everything of late. But not to worry - lots of updates coming. This giant eyeball is from a quick trip to Dallas last week - how cool is that?

And in the meantime, happy weekend and some links to distract you for a little while - be back soon!

• I read this New Yorker Georgia O'Keefe piece before Santa Fe. It's a take on her style and an awesome read! 

• Who didn't love Maggie Gyllenhaal already? I love this about parenting her children in the Trump era...

• I don't really wear hats, but loving this JCrew classic ball cap! 

• We are headed to Walloon over the 4th of July and the countdown is on - Ben and I both are checking the live webcam regularly!

• More NoMa news - Politics and Prose announced it is opening in the Union Market lot - super exciting. 

• And on the other coast, Tartine is opening a Coffee Manufactory in Oakland! 

• Ben's brother, Adam, and his wife Christina - just welcome our nephew to the world last week - Sam - and this piece about raising a feminist son feel timely. 

special counsel.

What a week. If you're in need of some faith and to be reminded that integrity is still alive in the world, this Politico piece - What Donald Trump Needs to Know About Bob Mueller and Jim Comey - is the read of my week (hat tip to Ben for this one). Highly recommend it.

option b.

We went to Santa Fe this past weekend (more on that soon!) and I took advantage of the plane time to read Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Hope by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant. I cried through parts of it in my plane seat and while my expectations were low, it far exceeded. Sheryl's personal anectdotes are heart-breaking and the other stories threaded throughout well chosen. It isn't a happy read, but I absolutely recommend it for the next time you need a break from your fiction - it is candid and honest and practical.

• NYTimes Book Review
• The Atlantic
• NPR - All Things Considered

friday. friday.

Happy Friday! What is everyone doing this weekend? Last weekend, we hung out with Sarah and Dave who were in town for a visit and they brought us these awesome flowers...aren't they cool? Hope you have a great weekend and including some links below in case they are of interest....

• We are excited about this cool new cocktail bar that is going to open soon right by our apartment!

• We had a couple minutes to kill before the HRW event on Wednesday and we walked through the West Elm in Palo Alto. I was to report back that their outdoor pillow collection is killing it. I basically stood there and hugged the pillows for a couple minutes.  Example 1, Example 2, and Example 3. 

• When we have kids, I was to raise good people like this. 

• How gorgeous are these photos from down by LA and the super flower bloom that is on in CA? 

• Ben and I watched Dave Chappelle's new stand-up on Netflix a couple weeks ago and who knew Chappelle is so funny? Apparently, everyone. And turns out on top of being funny - he is smart AF and interesting. Ben sent me this NYTimes piece from yesterday, great read!

the underground railroad.

Just finished The Underground Railroad and I do think it lived up to it's hype. Colson Whitehead writes with style and suspense that hooks into the story and his narrative of a piece of American history that we all are familiar with but probably don't really know makes the pages turn themselves. It is no wonder, it was just announced that the book won the Pulitzer for Fiction, and that comes after the National Book Award earlier this year.

• The Pulitzer Prizes
• NPR - Fresh Air with Colson Whitehead
• NYTimes Book Review

real talk.

Have you all seen the news and updates about Sheryl Sandberg's new book - Option B - Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy?  I read a snippet of the book today (click here for a featured excerpt) and I read this longer Time piece last night before bed that is incredibly moving and worth the read.

All this got me thinking about how grateful I am to my Mom. She talks a lot about death and sickness, pain and suffering - and she always has. Yes, it was always part of her job and profession - ministry is of course inextricably linked to questions and discussion about death and dying and she is also deeply interested in and talks about death with ease. At times it can be a bit much. But, as a result and I am so thankful for it, I feel very comfortable in conversations about death. I don't avoid the topics or situations. It isn't at all something to brag about, but I do think our generation in particular, doesn't know how to talk about it or really handle these situations and I feel like I really know how to handle and approach it all.

Growing up, after church every Sunday, we visited the nursing home. Our family dinner conversations and day time phone calls to this day with my Mom are sprinkled with updates about funerals or sick people or someone who is about to die. And some of the best advice on what to say and how to handle these situations was coached to us by Mom when we were children. For example...

What is the best and only thing you should say to someone initially after a death or a diagnosis or a tragic situation? 

• I am so sorry. (Plain and simple)

What is the last sensory to go when someone is dying? And why is that important? 

• Their hearing. So, when you're in a hospital room, don't talk about a person in the third person right in front of them, or about their condition - talk with them and to them like they are there in the room - because they are and you don't know what the last thing they will hear is. 

Write a will. Write a will. Write a will!

• Both my parents can talk about this ad nauseam. The questions, complications, drama and just deep emotional toll and trauma that you can't predict and that is caused when a person does not have a will and it is left to family members to decide can be devastating - not just the possessions but your basic end of life preferences, even some guidelines about what you would want for a funeral (I just want lots of eulogies and storytelling for the record!). Do everyone a favor. Write it down. 

What is a good gift for someone in the hospital? 

• What you should bring the person you are visiting in the hospital - well, that should be personal. You can't go wrong with a blanket for whoever is sitting in the chair next to them since hospitals are always so cold and impersonal? But, you know what you should really do, bring some donuts, cupcakes or treats for the nurses and doctors. At the end of the day, you want the best care for the person, and a little something to draw the nurses back into the room for a little extra attention - that goes a long way!

These are just some of the things my Mom taught us to go along with the forever intangible of just being comfortable sitting in silence when needed and confronting head on the most terrible parts of life. Thanks Mom!

fates and furies.

Excuse last week's hiatus - blame it on all the rain and the fact that we swore in a monster to office! But Happy Monday! Ben and I went to Yosemite this weekend and it was great. Full post to come but we spent a lot of time by the fire reading and I finally finished off this book, Fates and Furies, by Laura Groff.

Not gonna lie, it was a slog for the first 170 pages, but after that I flew through it. And Groff certainly makes an impression, there are parts of the book I have had rolling around in my head since I finished the last page. Would love to discuss with anyone that has read it (my sister-in-law, Hannah, was so on point with some of her criticisms back a month ago before I had really made inroads). So, for what it is worth, this is a thick read that will get under your skin....

• NYTimes Sunday Book Review
• NPR
• The New Yorker

monday mania.

It's Monday already. Brutal! But to start you off this week, here are some links to jump start the week....

• According to Test Kitchen, which Ben and I watched a little bit of this weekend, this is the best paper towel holder out there. 

• This Politico piece, Putin's Real Long Game, about Putin and Russia has been stuck in my head since I read it last week (hat tip to Ben for this recommended read). 

• This makes me love Wendy's. So great.

• I have a weak spot for pitchers - so here is a handsome looking one in case you need a gift at some point soon...

• NYTimes did a highlight piece on NoMa and Union Market in DC a couple weeks ago, here it is in all its glory - Historic Designation Sets Stage for a Washington Market District's Future. 

• Need some new recipes for 2017 - this Bon Appetit - 40 KitchenAid Recipes that Stand, Mix and Deliver should help with that. 

And last but not least, we are headed to Yosemite in two weeks to get away from the TV, avoid all things inauguration and to talk with the trees. If you have any recommendations - send my way, I would love to hear!

no love.

In an effort to not just curate the good and beautiful, here is my review of a little bit of bad. Love Warrior goes down as my worst read of 2016. I know, I know, you've probably seen it on some list of great reads or prominently featured on one of the main tables at your bookstore. Oh yeah, and Oprah said it was good. Well, trust me on this, it isn't good. And remember when Oprah thought James Frey was god? Don't do it. And I can say that having read the whole book...because even when a book is terrible, I still feel compelled to finish it and I had to fight through every single page of this book.

There you have it. Hopefully I just saved you $12 and a couple hours of torture - you're welcome - thank me later!

reading list - kerr time.

Read of the week, this NYTimes piece, Tragedy Made Steve Kerr See the World Beyond the Court. Highly recommend....

read of the week.

I meant to post this NYTimes piece about the Philippines last week - highly recommend it - both the format and styling but most importantly the substance of this piece are powerful to say the least.

friday roundup.

It's finally Friday! My Mom is in town visiting and Ben and I are taking her away for the weekend for a getaway to Paso Robles. She loves car time and getting quality time with her kids individually and we figured this was the perfect birthday present for her this year. We are planning on cooking her a belated birthday meal and just enjoying her company with beautiful views and a new place for all of us.

And I thought I would also share a round-up of some interesting bits of late....hope you have a great weekend.

• This beautiful and tear-inducing piece in the NYTimes - A Letter to the Doctors and Nurses Who Cared for my Wife.

• Samantha Bee is the funniest person on tv right now and this segment - Maine's Personal Trump - hits a little too close to home!

• Loving this JCrew Toggle Cape and just waiting for it to go on big sale. 

• We can't wait to check out this new restaurant, The Morris, soon. And we are super excited about this indian place coming to the Mission soon!

• I am a sucker for old people and this just warms my heart - I hope it does for you too (hat tip to Ben!). 

trained.

I know I am late to the party on this, but I just finished The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. It was a perfect page turner for the plane. And now I am ready for the movie (who doesn't love Emily Blunt?!). If you need a beach/airplane read, this one fits the bill.

• NPR Review
• NYTimes Review

old meets new.

How great are these classic books with new Rifle Paper Co. designed covers? I hung out with Hannah + Jordan + Stella + Djuna this weekend on Sunday morning, and they had just bought two of the books - the girls were loving them! These would make such great gifts for the kids of reading age.

book list.

I have been in a long and severe reading drought. Books have sat on my bedside table for months on months without being touched. But this weekend we went away for the long weekend (more on that soon) and I finally broke my reading block. So, for your reading list, My Name is Lucy Barton, was an easy and captivating read - just what I needed to get back on the wagon.

• The New York Times Review
• NPR Write-up

shake it off.

The Really Big One - if you don't have time to read this, let me give you my cliff notes version and sum it up - in short - I am not moving to Seattle or Portland and will likely limit any future visits!

cruel & unusual.

This piece in The Atlantic, The Cruel and Unusual Execution of Clayton Lockett, just gets more brutal and terrible as you go. And yet, an absolute must-read. Bryan Stevenson touches on this in his book Just Mercy but this is a full and detailed accounting of certain cruel and unusual punishment but also the twisted and gross scavenger hunt for the drugs to execute...

kalief.

I read this piece last night about Kalief Browder. How very very sad.  For those who hadn't seen the previous piece about him, here is the video that was leaked from Rikers. To think, three years with no charge, 16 years old and this is how his story ends...

And related, I'll say it again, if you haven't read Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson - you should start today...

weekend read file.

Happy Friday! I am excited for the weekend - we are going on a hike tomorrow, celebrating a friend's last game of the season and catching up with some friends and their baby that we haven't seen in a long while. Should be busy and easy. But first, to get your weekend started, some material below to read up on...

In my graduation speech round-up last week, I forgot to include Joe Biden's Yale Class speech, which really was a good speech but obviously all the more poignant given this past week. Would definitely recommend it....

This made me laugh out loud - I love this picture and no doubt every parent out there will appreciate!

I know pretty much everyone has moved on from The Jinx and Robert Durst, but I forgot to share these a while back - so this Jezebel piece about Durst's wife and then this follow-up piece about Durst and the documentary.

In a shameless plug, Ben wrote this great op-ed in The Hill last month about antitrust issues - and you should read it!

Malcolm Gladwell has strong feelings about Paulson's Harvard gift...

And this story about the Red Cross in Haiti came out earlier this week - and is worth the read and to keep in mind the next time you are donating during a crisis (in a past life I worked at the American Red Cross and uh...yeah...ask me about it sometime!)...

Hope everyone has a great weekend and finger's crossed for the end of this rainy week!